Photobook and Frame
by WordyAndRestless
Summary: In a collection of pictures, the entire love life of Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin are illustrated as memories. From when they first met to how their future is played out, a picture captures it all. Drabble formal. Slightly AU ;D
1. Action!

**Author's Note:**

I had an idea I really liked so since summer is approaching and I had some free time I might as well put it together! I wanted to tell Remus and Tonks' story through pictures, but I CAN'T DRAW! :( :( and so I wrote about it. I hope it is easy to picture for you and I hope it's ok. Do enjoy! Constuctive critiscims are always welcome and I thank you ahead of time. Review if you have time but it means more to me if you enjoyed it ^_^

This tells their story (hopefully in sequential order) from when they first met all the way to their future. It's slightly AU so ;D (just saying)

**Chapter 01 – Action!**

The mild sized Auror office was cramped, mundane, and messy as piles after piles of bulky folders and case files lined the walls of the room. On the far side there was a small bookshelf that was stacked to a point over capacity with books and loose tan parchment, all written on. The desk was unkempt and a total disaster while the floors were lined with waist high piles, most of which consisted of criminal sightings with one name in particular, Sirius Black.

"Action!" a young, energetic witch with brilliant bubblegum pink hair shrieked in joy as she fist pumped the air, wearing a black Auror robe and a _Weird Sisters_ tee underneath with holey jeans. She sat on a tall wooden stool, rocking it back and forth in eagerness.

"Don't get too excited. Once you're in there's no backing out," the battle worn man in the brown khaki robe reminded, his blue mechanical eye whizzing like mad.

"Oh hush up Mad-Eye. I know."

"Tonks, the Order of the Phoenix is not fun and game. We're here to…"

"You're here to protect and defend us against _You-Know-Who_. I know and no matter how goofy I seem, I'm actually taking this seriously. Give me a break Kingsley."

"Good," a dark man in violet long robes nodded approvingly. "Don't be late for the next meeting. Mad-Eye will guide you there.

"I won't. I finally get a dib in on some action instead of being stuck filing paperwork all day here," she grinned before suddenly tipping the stool which she sat on and flailing to the ground with a loud thud. Following her fall was a suppressed laugh, an irritated grunt, and an overly embarrassed chuckle.


	2. Snuffles?

**Author's Note:**

Hmm, so since these chapters are short I can update quick, I guess that's alright. Now I still need to finish my other fan fiction, Swallow the Sun haha, another Remus and Tonks fic. I think I'm in love with this pairing. If you can please tell me what you think of this update. ^_^ Thanks again!

**Chapter 02 – Snuffles?**

The house was made up of odd angles and all black interior. The colorless world of Grimmauld Place made her sick to her stomach and the only way left she could help herself was to make her hair even more vivid, even more offending. Her bubblegum pink hair was practically glowing neon in the house of black. As she walked behind Mad-Eye, Tonks looked around, with eagerness still in her as she stepped deeper into the house of Grimmauld Place, headquarters.

From behind the kitchen door there suddenly appeared large black dog, jumping on her with an eager woof and its tongue hanging outside, panting in silly canine excitement. It had knocked her to the ground. She pushed herself up, staring at it. It barked again, an inviting bark.

"Nice doggy," Tonks smiled timidly, watching as the dog slowly backed away from her.

"It appears that he likes you," the gentle voice of a man spoke. Tonks looked up and leaning on the wall beside the dog was a tall man with gentle blue eyes, light brown hair flecked with grey and premature lines. He smiled warmly at her, his hands driven in the pockets of his trousers, a part of his shabby looking attire. "His name is Snuffles."

"Snuffles?" Tonks questioned. "Uh…I'm Tonks."

The man smiled and nodded again. "Remus Lupin."

Her eyes watched in wonder as the shaggy black dog suddenly turned itself into a man, an animagus. He was a lanky man with curly black hair and a haunted; hallow face that had been seen infamously throughout the Ministry. She was caught speechless.

"And this would be Sirius Black," the man named Remus sighed and chuckled.

"Hey cousin," the lanky man grinned, a smile on a once handsome face.

Tonks definitely remembered Sirius, the man Kingsley and Mad-Eye had been faking search investigations for months ever since his escape from Azkaban. Prior to arriving at Grimmauld Place, they had explained to her that he was innocent, and she believed them. There were doubts at first, but a calling voice of conscience in her heart told her Sirius was innocent, and she didn't even have to question it.

"So uh, I know I'm labeled as a criminal and all…but…" Sirius began awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he tried to make at least an ok impression on her.

Tonks didn't need him to. She had already decided in her mind that he was innocent, and that was it. "So do I call you Snuffles or Sirius?" she asked, causing a chuckle to leave Remus and a wider grin to appear on Sirius' face.


	3. Discreet

**Author's Note:**

This one's a bit longer than the others, hope you don't mind ^_^ If you have time please do check out my other RemusxTonks fan fiction too called Swallow the Sun. I hope you enjoy and review if you can. Thank you they are greatly appreciated. ^_^

**Chapter 03 – Discreet**

It was another stormy night outside, raining and thundering for the past seven days. Grimmauld Place never seemed more miserable, more colorless and dead. The Order meeting was that night and Remus had been the earliest there, taking his usual seat in the back where he could clearly see the door. Sirius sat beside him, and soon the others began to file in.

He folded his arms as his eyes searched the slowly approaching crowd for that one girl, that young Auror with brilliant pink hair that contrasted so much with the dread and black of Grimmauld Place. Remus was looking for Tonks, keeping his gazes discreet. When Mad-Eye filed in and he still didn't see Tonks, he sat up, his neck craning a bit to try to see if she was possibly hiding somewhere.

No, she wasn't hiding, she just tripped, and her hair wasn't pink that night, it was blue, a soft and subtle baby blue. He was surprise he didn't hear that, the thud and the discreet curses over the troll leg umbrella stand she would always fall over. He smiled a little, wanting to help her up but she was already bouncing on her feet. He then looked across from him, seeing an empty seat right there, and another down beside Mad-Eye. Chances are she'd sit beside Mad-Eye, her mentor, but Remus still hoped on a whim that she'd sit across from him.

When she sat down in that empty chair across from him, he smiled. He was conscious of himself and gave her a discreet smile, happy to see her colorful self and her grin that she returned at him. Tonks made a silly face as she rubbed her knee.

"I don't think baby blue's my color. I tripped more than usual tonight," she sighed.

He chuckled and was stunned at the sweet, gazing look in her eyes as she watched him. Remus cleared his throat with subtlety as he smiled again, his smirk plastered onto his face with her. "It looks great, subtle and soft," he voiced.

"Soft," she nodded. Tonks then wrinkled her nose and closed her eyes, morphing her hair into a pink color, a soft, subtle, and warm baby pink, different from her usual brilliant and rebellious rocker chick pink. "How about this?" she asked him. "Soft and subtle?" she smiled.

Remus nodded and smiled. Until he looked down, he didn't even realize that his hand and hers were millimeters away from touching across the table. He looked up again and found that his wandering eyes had been lost in her gentle hazel. They were trapped in each other's gaze, spell bound, and probably grinning like fools. For the first time in his life, Remus didn't care.

"How was your day then? Anymore bruises we should put ice on?" he asked her.

She nodded with a childish look in her eyes, still not breaking their spell. "So many."

He couldn't help but touch her fingers with his and he felt a little shock in her eyes, but she smiled again, pleasantly, and her fingers stayed in contact with his. "I'll get some ice for you after the meeting then."

"Thank you, Remus," she smiled. He liked her voice when she said that, it sounded nice.

"Psst," came Sirius' playful intrusion. "Remus you're drooling," Sirius grinned.

He replied to the man with an elbow in the gut while his eyes never left Tonks' spell.


	4. Names

**Author's Note:**

I hope you like it ^_^ Remember to review! Reviewers get a special night with remus in the library behind locked doors o.0 ;D lol I think I'm gonna start bribing for reviews lol jk. I do hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 04 – Names**

"Nymphadora," he called her name as Tonks sat down with one of his favorite books in her hands, _Jane Eyre_. The large leather armchair across from him looked too big for her, but she seemed overly comfortable as she pulled her legs up and leaned back.

"Really Professor, must you call me that every bloody time?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

It came as a pleasant surprise to Remus that she didn't snap at him like she would do with everyone else. _Don't call me Nymphadora!_ He'd hear that so often it replayed in its head.

"You call me Professor," he defended with a smug little smile hidden behind a book.

Tonks rolled her eyes again, her hair changing colors from bright neon pink to a fiery red, matching the Weasley's. She couldn't deny that whenever Remus called her name, there was a certain ring to it, a ring that she somewhat liked, but no matter, it was still a terrible name. After spending about two months around him, she'd found him to be quite interesting, and definitely not anywhere short of an expected Marauder.

Nymphadora really was a lovely name. Tonks, he felt, was too short for her, too abrupt. He also especially enjoyed the reaction she'd give only to him when he called her that. She didn't yell or snap. She simply snorted at him and resorts to mocking him playfully. He couldn't deny it, in the past few months they've known each other Tonks had made a bigger impression on him that he could admit. Though they never did anything more than talked and stared.

"I call you Professor when you call me Nymphadora," she sighed.

"But Nymphadora is a great name. It's beautiful and means…"

"Professor Lupin, please oh please just call me Tonks," she jokingly begged.

"How about Dora then?" he asked her.

Tonks sighed and set down her book. "If you must, Remus, then I guess you can."

He grinned.

"You know my dad calls me that. You should consider yourself very special," she smiled and stuck her tongue out.

Remus chuckled, showing her his smile from behind his book that seemed to have lit her eyes up as she watched him laugh. He couldn't help but stare at her for a bit, seeing how her unique hair changed from red back to her most preferred pink, except it was a subtle pink, a softer, baby pink. He knew from the last two months, that when her hair is that specific color, she was happy, happier than usual. He grinned even more and Tonks began laughing at his foolish face, but he didn't mind one bit. As long as she was smiling, he was fine.


	5. Autumn

**Author's Note:**

I hope this chapter is ok ^_^ This story is almost total fluff haha. Review if you can, thanks for reading!

**Chapter 05 – Autumn**

Color…there had never been so many colors in his world. He saw red, gold, brown, orange, and yellow, the colors of autumn. Then he saw blue, green, purple, black, and pink, don't ever forget the pink, a few of the many colors of Nymphadora Tonks. Remus smiled as his world nearly spun and drowned in the many colors.

They were outside, long sleeved jackets on their backs. His were shabby but comfortable where as Tonks' were colorful and mismatched but belonging. They stood in the backyard of Grimmauld Place, the house shadowing them making it seem more eerie than the afternoon should. But then Tonks' laughter pulled Remus away from the dread and to the brighter side, the more colorful and wild side.

"I've never felt so accomplished in my entire life!" she smiled, admiring their pile of leaves, red, gold, yellow and orange, the colors of autumn. The autumn breeze was in the air.

"I've never seen such a giant pile of leaves in my whole life!" Remus replied.

He had to crane his neck to see the top of the mountain, grinning as he too did feel a sense of accomplishment. The entire yard looked clean and organized with the colorful leaves all in one pile under the tree. When he turned to the tree, he saw Nymphadora climbing it, a mischievous grin spread across her face. Remus raced after her, fearing she would fall for she was notorious for her clumsiness.

"Be careful," he reminded her kindly as she perched herself on a branch.

"Such a worried bloke," Tonks smiled, patting the spot beside her. "Come over."

"Are you sure this is safe?" Remus smiled, raising an eyebrow in question of her.

"Perfectly safe," she grinned childishly as Remus sat down beside her.

He ran his hand through his messy light brown hair, never feeling so relaxed, so carefree, and so belonging in his entire life. He leaned back and sighed as he could feel contact with Tonks beside him. Their arms were touching, and he liked that feeling, being so close to her. "This is nice," he admitted and smiled.

Suddenly they heard a noise that sounded like splintering wood. Tonks' Auror instincts came in as she straightened up. "Remus what was that?" she questioned, looking around.

"I don't know," Remus replied. Then they both heard the sound again and turned to look at each other with a dark shadow over their eyes.

Within the next second, the branch collapsed and they both fell into the huge pile of leaves below, falling safely without harm but causing the leaves to fly everywhere. "Bloody hell!" they both yelled, the curse having been their curse words of choice.

When Tonks and Remus sat up again, they looked around. Tonks was pouting and Remus found himself laughing beside her, his grin wide and his eyes mirthful.

"Aw I worked so hard!"

"It is autumn Nymphadora. The leaves make it seem more like so," he laughed.

Tonks pouted, biting her lips not to laugh as she playfully pushed him into the leaves.


	6. Checkmate

**Chapter 06 – Checkmate**

Sirius sat beside the fire, watching the board carefully with a bottle of fire whiskey in his hands. He pulled his legs up to his chin, his eyes still peering closely as he scratched his chin. He then looked up, turning from Remus to Tonks as they both were so concentrated that the silence seemed scary. Sirius then backed up and realized they weren't concentrating on the unfinished game of chess. They were concentrating on each other.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Sirius mumbled and took a long gulp.

"Queen to E-5," Remus suddenly spoke and their gazes broke.

Tonks looked down, stunned and her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. She then looked back up with a pout and a face that looked like a five year old girl after someone had played a silly prank on her.

"Hey!" Tonks yelled and lightly smacked Remus' arm. "You cheated!"

Remus chuckled, stifling back a laugh as he grinned at her. "Checkmate."

"Cheater," Tonks mumbled, sticking her tongue out childishly at him.

Sirius watched in great amusement, grinning at the two people who he knew should just get together and start making out already before he forces them to. He folded his legs, sat back, took another drink from his half empty bottle of fire whiskey, and howled in laughter as Tonks' ringing voice echoed in their ears.

"You were distracted," Remus defended himself.

"You distracted me!" Tonks continued and Sirius saw she was beginning to blush.

"Flirts," Sirius rolled his eyes and continued to watch them entertained.


	7. Fooled

**Author's Note:**

Hmm, this somehow inspired a scene for my other fic "Swallow the Sun" also about Remus and Tonks...the funny thing is the scenes had nothing to do with each other! I'm so randomly weird. ^_^ Read and Review, thanks so much!

**Chapter 07 – Fooled**

Surprise dawned on him when Tonks suddenly asked, "Remus, can you please teach me how to get better at chess?"

Usually he'd refuse her, knowing there were many other great chess players in the house, but Remus felt like he wanted to say yes to her, unable to refuse the colorful Auror that is Nymphadora Tonks.

For the next week, he had spent every night with her in the library. She had shown him that she knew all the basics of chess, but she wasn't particularly good at it. So Remus spent the time explaining to her the many tricks he'd learned over the years, how to calculate and predict moves, and ultimately how to quickly win again. Although no matter how good of a teacher he tried to be for her, he found that Tonks just wasn't getting the last bit about winning a game, and so they tried on and on every night. They'd sit together by the fire, looming over a chessboard with their thinking faces on. Remus would steal glances at her, wondering if she noticed. He'd feel his heart beat to a rhythm that was fast and unfamiliar whenever he was around her, and he just simply loved being able to help her get better at chess.

As the nights grew longer, he had spent most of his time with Tonks, and he absolutely wasn't complaining. Seeing her so much made him feel flustered like a schoolboy and he actually loved it. Though the nights he'd spent with her were growing longer and soon he realized it was getting in the way of his sleep, but again, Remus didn't mind as long as the reason he couldn't sleep was because of Tonks.

Then one morning, after a particularly long match with Tonks, he had left a warm blanket over her as she'd fallen asleep beside the chessboard that night along with him. He woke up first and came down to the kitchen, brewing himself some tea and some coffee for Tonks, stirring the suspicion of his nosy friend who already though there had been something more between Remus and Tonks.

"What's that Remus, tea _and_ coffee?" Sirius asked, scratching his chin.

"No, tea for me and coffee for Tonks," Remus replied casually and then he smirked. "It's not what you think Padfoot, Tonks and I are just really good friends."

"Since when did you have any other friend besides me?" Sirius teased.

"That hurts," Remus smiled and faked a look of pain.

"So why are you brewing coffee for my cousin?" Sirius asked with a sly grin.

Remus decided to ignore his grin and replied, "We were both up really late last night playing chess. I've been helping her improve lately and our last game lasted nearly five hours!"

Sirius' grin grew even wider. A feat Remus didn't think was possible.

"What?" he asked, curious and a bit worried since it was Sirius.

Then the man scoffed, laughed, and finally replied, "Nothing. It's just…Tonks is a master at chess. I thought you knew that one time you played her with all those complicated teasing movies," he smirked. "She beat me when I babysat her, and she could own you in five minutes flat! Ha, five hours," he laughed. "You must've gotten really good Remus." That last part came as sort of a tease, filled with sarcasm.

And with that, realization dawned upon Remus' face. He had been fooled by a witty Auror named Nymphadora Tonks! But he didn't mind however, since he had gotten to spend so much time with her. He'd been happily fooled. Though there was one question in Remus' mind that he couldn't answer, one question he didn't want to ask Sirius.

"_Why would Tonks trick me into helping her improve at chess?_" Remus thought as he tried to hide his smile about being fooled by a pink haired Auror.


	8. Attraction

**Chapter 08 – Attraction**

THUD!

"Bloody hell!" Tonks' recognizable voice rang through the stairs.

Remus who had been taking each steps slowly due to a full moon just one night ago, suddenly found himself ignoring his pain and rushing up the stairs to help her. He should be used to it by now, Tonks always fell, but every time she did he felt the need to check if she's alright.

"Filthy mudbloods!" Walburga Black's voice echoed rudely from her painting. "Werewolves! Half-breeds! Blood traitors! You vermin are tainting the Noble House of Black!"

He found her on the staircase and quickly closed the fallen curtain over Walburga's portrait, placing a silencing charm on her so that she won't disrupt the house for hours on ends. Tonks was on the ground and just pushing herself up as Remus bent down to help her. What he had forgotten was his worn body after a full moon. When Tonks grabbed onto his hand and he attempted to pull her up, Remus' legs suddenly collapsed and another thud followed their fall. That time however, Tonks found herself unharmed, painless, and awkwardly positioned on top of Remus, their eyes piercing into each others'.

"Um…are you ok Nymphadora?" Remus asked weakly, blushing vividly.

Tonks couldn't even control her morphing as no matter how hard she tried to hide her blush, she knew, by the looks in his eyes, that it was still there. She grinned goofily. "Yeah, thanks Remus. This is awkward."

He laughed timidly, his arms still holding onto hers as she had her hands on his chest. He remembered having a cut there, but somehow with Tonks' gentle fingers resting overtop of it, it didn't hurt anymore. They were quiet, looking into each others' eyes and not wanting to pull away or drop the intense gaze. Remus felt an urge in him, pushing him closer to her than he already was. He found himself pulling his head up, his lips closing in on hers by the second. Tonks stayed in her same awkward but very close position, her lips unmoving and soft, and her eyes still staring into his.

They came to the point of being able to feel the rise and fall of each others' heartbeat and feel the warmth of each others' breath. Soon their lips touched uncontrollably, and both parties felt their heart race like never before. They lingered there, in that same position, with their lips in contact for what felt like an eternity. It was such a good, heavenly feeling that they couldn't pull away, even if they had wanted to. Tonks felt her heart turn like it never had for anyone before. Remus felt exhilarated, like his entire world was bright and alive again.

"I came up to check on all the noise. Tonks are you alright and Remus you…what are you two doing?" Sirius' booming voice sounded in the background, followed by a thunderous laughter of his.

Their eyes widened and Tonks, out of embarrassment, reluctantly pushed herself off of Remus. They stared at each other wide-eyed while Sirius' laughter was erupting in the background. That moment before felt so good, so real, so true.


	9. Fact

**Author's Note:**

haha this chapter came outta nowhere but it was fun ^_^ hmm, perhaps I should put something like this in my other story "Swallow the Sun" about R&T? 0.o idk oh well haha. look forward to an update on "Swallow the Sun" either tomorrow morning or afternoon, depends on when I wake up. remember to leave a review if u can, thanks so much!

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><p><strong>Chapter 09 – Fact<strong>

That night was Sirius' birthday, and though he managed to keep the party to only the three of them, Tonks was bewildered at how fast his storage of fire whiskey had depleted from a cabinet full to only five bottles, one half empty. Sirius was wearing a paper birthday crown made of shiny purple paper and decorated with gold stars. He danced around like an idiot, pulling Tonks and Remus along with him as they stumbled around the living room of Grimmauld Place. The radio was on, playing a jolly song that matched the mood so well.

_Can you dance like a hippogriff?  
>Na na na na na na na na na<br>Flyin' off from a cliff  
>Na na na na na na na na na<br>Swoopin' down, to the ground  
>Na na na na na na na na na<br>Wheel around and around and around  
>Na na na na na na na na na<em>

Groove around like a scary ghost  
>Spooking himself the most<br>Shake your booty like a boggart in pain  
>Again and again and again<br>Get it on like an angry specter  
>Who's definitely out to get ya<br>Tap your feet like a leprechaun  
>Get it on, get it on!<p>

"Last shot Moony, last shot I promise," Sirius grinned as he drugged Remus with yet another bottle of whiskey.

"I never realized I could dance like a hippogriff!" Remus commented through his gulps.

Tonks was red from the whiskey and was laughing like a fool. "We're so drunk!"

"Like that's a fact," Sirius laughed.

"You want to know what else is a fact?" Remus mumbled uncontrollably, giggling.

"And what would that be Moony?" Sirius grinned mischievously.

"I love you Nymphadora Tonks!" Remus grinned, hugging her tight.

She was happy, beyond belief, and she didn't know what to say. "I love you too Remus! Merlin's balls we are so drunk. Remus has become loopy!" she smiled, looking at him genuinely.

"Loopy Lupin," Sirius howled, toasting his bottle in the hair. "Loopy Moony Lupin loves Nymphadora Tonks!" He spun and fell back into a chair. "Ain't that a fact," he chuckled slyly.


	10. Missing

**Chapter 10 – Missing**

He'd been avoiding her ever since his somewhat confession on Sirius' birthday! That morning after Tonks woke up lying practically on top of Remus in the library with the biggest hangover of her life, while old jolly Sirius was bumbling around in the kitchen looking for more fire whiskey. She then learned from her partially sober cousin that he'd been tricking Remus to admitting her feelings for her, and drunken or not, they were Remus' true feelings. After that, Tonks didn't know what to do.

Of course she felt the same way for him too. Not to the point of an endless, undying love, good heavens she wasn't there yet. But Tonks knew that there was _something_ about him that made her tick, just something. And so, she'd spent the next few days trying to catch Remus alone, but to no avail. And there she was again that night, gazing up at the full moon from the window and wondering where Remus had disappeared to.

"Sirius, have you seen Remus?" Tonks asked just as a pestered Sirius passed by.

"He's busy, why?" Sirius replied a little too tersely.

"I've been looking to talk to him alone for the past few days, and I can't seem to ever catch the man alone," Tonks sighed.

"Well I wouldn't even bother with tonight," Sirius smiled wanly. "Full moon's up."

He left before Tonks could question him any further, leaving a very bemused, very confused metamorphmagus in his wake. Tonks' eyebrows furrowed together, wondering what Sirius could've meant. Sure the man was psycho due to cabin fever by now, but Sirius usually had some form of truth behind his words.

She then turned back to the full moon that loomed over them outside the window. In the darkness of Grimmauld Place, the moonlight flushed it with a sort of milky white veil. Sirius had mentioned the moon, so it must've had something to do with Remus. Could it be that Remus just really likes gazing up at it? Or maybe he likes to be alone during a full moon? She didn't really understand why. Who'd want to be alone on a full moon?

And then realization dawned on her. As if she was piecing together an oddly obvious puzzle, she started to wander into a direction she'd never think of. Tonks remembered she'd never catch Remus before on a full moon and at around that time in the month, he'd seem so worn and tired, a bit more edgy than he was at all other times in the month. Then she'd remember how Remus would tense whenever she casually treaded upon the topics of wolves, lycanthropes, and such. And then her eyes widened when she remembered that a few times, Tonks would catch him drinking a golden, lightly smoking liquid, a potion of some sort. Could it be the Wolfsbane potion? If so then Remus would be a werewolf. That would explain the shabbiness and the tired, worn out man at certain times of the month. She watched the moon for a moment longer in silence.

"Werewolves aren't so bad," she found herself nodding. "Besides, Remus is too gentle to hurt anyone. For all I know, my clumsiness pose more danger to innocent bystanders than him. And if Remus does drink the Wolfsbane potion, he's perfectly harmless," she mumbled to herself. Afterwards, Tonks began questioning her sane as an Auror. She was just speaking about a werewolf, a dark creature as classified by the Ministry of Magic, and she spoke about him so lightly. "_Well, it was this kind of prejudice that made Remus' life so miserable. He doesn't need any more of that,_" Tonks thought. Inside her mind, she slowly gripped a hand around the fact that Remus Lupin was a werewolf, and she doesn't care. Remus is perfectly harmless!


	11. Encounter

**Author's Note:**

Oh this is longer than the rest, but oh well, I personally like writing these kinds of chapters. I'm a fluff lover haha. Anyways...I'm so excited to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2! Omg I'm gonna start crying during the movie! (hopefully not though). Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

P.S. Unfortunately I seem to have been unexpectedly visited by the plot bunny :( So now I have another great idea (at least to me) for a RemusxTonks fan fiction, but I don't know if I should start it since I am working on three already. I really want to start it though, so I don't really know haha. Would it be too confusing for readers? If you can, leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thank you so much for just reading and even reviewing!

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><p><strong>Chapter 11 – Encounter<strong>

Before Tonks even knew it, yet another month had passed her by and during that month, she and Remus have been having awkward meetings and encounters with each other where both were unsure of what to say or how to even start talking.

It was the night of the full moon again, and after a month of prying out clues from Sirius whenever he was drunk, Tonks was about to conclude that Remus locks himself up in a room in the house to transform so that he wouldn't harm anyone. She knew she didn't mind that Remus was a werewolf. He was too kind, too gentle, and too selfless to hurt anyone. Tonks had convinced herself to wait until a few days after his transformation to speak with him. She needed to. She needed to speak with him about them and how she felt towards him before she exploded. Thinking about Remus, Tonks was sure that he would be of no threat to anyone. She didn't know exactly where he hid in the house when he transformed, but she was certain that he was completely harmless and tamed.

That night after an Order meeting had ended to which Tonks noticed a very ill-looking and distressed Remus escaping the first chance he got she decided to allow him to go without pulling him back and bothering him with her questions and need for answers just yet. She watched as Sirius soon got up and followed him, leaving Tonks alone with Molly, Arthur, and a few remaining Order members who have chosen to stay over for dinner. Tonks ate in silence, occasionally exchanging words with Kingsley and Bill who have just joined.

When dinner ended, Tonks didn't feel up to doing anything else. Her mind had been too preoccupied with talking to Remus that she didn't feel like doing anything else _but_ talk to him. Since Remus wouldn't be available that night, Tonks convinced herself to just turn in early and get herself some much needed sleep since lately she was looking a bit "peaky" according to the ever so loving matriarch.

"I swear, you can solve world hunger by setting Molly Weasley on the loose," Tonks mumbled to herself as she got changed out of her Auror work robes and into a pair of bright blue ducky trousers and a fitting t-shirt with a giant yellow duck on the front. She yawned and fell onto her bed, closing her eyes and trying to sleep.

After a couple hours of tossing and turning in her bed, Tonks sat up and rubbed her face, concluding that for some odd reason, no matter how tired she was, she wasn't going to be able to sleep that night. She blamed it on her _minor case of insomnia_. Tonks wandered down to the kitchen and brewed herself a cup of tea, only tripping once on the troll legged umbrella stand. She was cursing at it, coming up with about a million ways to give that thing a slow and painful death. Tonks luckily didn't spill or break anything as she held her cup of tea in her hand and slowly wandered up the stairs.

"Well if I can't sleep I might as well grab a book and read," she sighed to herself and turned, heading for the Black family library which she always found comfort and tranquility in with its warm blazing fire, seeming like the only normal and not dreary part of the whole house.

Remus was lying on his belly, his transformation into the wolf over with for the night and he was to stay in the form of the thin, naked animal for the night until the moon disappeared and the sun rose. He was just about to drift off to sleep, his amber eyes which had normally been blue watched as the flames danced in the fire that Sirius had lit under the mantle beside him. Sirius had gone off to bed after another rant of being in the dreadful house and Remus was left alone. He wanted to read, but unfortunately his claws made it too difficult for him to pick up a book, let alone turn the pages.

His head perked up when he heard the sound of the doorknob suddenly turn. He wondered who it could have been, but then he heard her voice and his eyes widened in horror.

"Bloody hell," Tonks grumbled tiredly. "Who would lock this door? Jeez it's not like there's treasure hidden in here or something," she continued.

Remus heard the locks click open and he could just about bet that she had pulled out her wand and undone all the wards. He should have known that a few simple wards wouldn't be able to keep an Auror out. Tonks closed the door behind her and walked in.

He was quiet in his corner beside the blazing warm fire as he watched her stride into the room, stumbling slightly with a cup of steaming tea in her hands. He was panicking, staring at her with fear and disbelief that she would be so close to him when he's so dangerous. Tonks though, seemed to be completely oblivious to his presence in the room as she strode over to the bookshelf and quickly pulled out a book. He watched her, hoping that she would leave afterwards. Remus feared what would happen if she saw him. His hope died when her eyes locked with his and silence engulfed them for what felt like an eternity.

Tonks was silent for a while and so was Remus. The only sound in the room was the crackling of the firewood under the mantle in the still burning fire. Suddenly, when she spoke, Remus was completely caught by surprise.

"Wotcher Remus," she smiled. It wasn't something he expected.

He looked at her with a bemused expression in his eyes that she could obviously see. Remus was used to being screamed at, slapped, and having people run away from him. He never expected a simple greeting as if he wasn't a menacing dark creature watching her. Tonks seemed unfazed as she tilted her head, looking at him.

"You're really skinny as a wolf. No wonder Molly tries to feed you so much," she nodded, uncaring of the fact that he was a werewolf. "I hope you don't mind me in here, but I'm not leaving so too bad," she smiled and made her way over to him.

Remus sat up, his claws were folded in front of him and he was still lying on his belly but his head was up and he continued to watch the pick haired Auror with intense confusion. Tonks sat down beside him, casually opening her book and beginning to read a few lines. What shocked him more had been her casualness and calmness. She even began stroking his fur and scratching the back of his ear. The feeling was sickly relaxing and Remus wanted to tell her to leave, but it's not like he could without barking at her and possibly give her the wrong signal. So Remus only sat there, mindful of his teeth and claws as Tonks slowly shifted closer beside him. Eventually she laid her head in his thin light brown fur and yawned as she continued to read the book. They were both enveloped by the warm fire.

"You want to read too right?" Tonks asked, smiling to herself as she knew he couldn't respond. "Tap the floor twice whenever you want me to turn the page. I've read this book before and I know it's your favorite too," she smiled, laying the _Jane Eyre_ book in between her and Remus as they read it together.

Remus was utterly surprised. He didn't know what to say even if he could say something. The fact that she knew he wanted to read was unimaginable. What was even worse was that she knew _Jane Eyre_ was his favorite book. She saw the hint of surprise in his eyes and only chuckled. Remus watched as Tonks ruffled the top of his head like she would with a pet dog.

"I know you're a werewolf," she spoke softly, looking at him with honesty and gentle sincerity in her eyes. "But I don't care and you better remember that. You're just a normal bloke who happens to have a small problem," she smiled. "See I can handle being with a werewolf," she chuckled as he finally settled down and allowed himself to relax.

After a while, Remus found himself reading beside Tonks. They stayed up all night, reading together and like she told him to, he would tap the floor twice with his claws whenever he needed her to turn the page. Tonks did so with a small smile on her face. The entire night, Remus had never felt happier as he lay beside her, doing something as simple as reading. He'd definitely never had that experience before. It was such a simple moment but yet it was so beautiful. Remus found himself making such a selfish wish later into the night. He wished that with every full moon Tonks would lie beside him and read with him just like that. It definitely made turning into a werewolf much more bearable. He no longer felt like a monster as the night drew longer with Nymphadora Tonks beside him. Like Tonks had said, Remus soon began to feel like a normal bloke with a furry little problem. If only Tonks could see it, Remus was grinning brightly as he laid beside her, reading with her head rested on his.


	12. Smile

**Author's Note:**

Started a new fan fiction on Remus and Tonks! "Save the Last Dance for Me", inspired by a lot of semi-depressing songs lol, but I don't think it's classified as a song-fic...? Anyways, I watched the Harry Potter movie right on the premiere last night and...omg i sobbed so badly. Now I'm raiding for various reasons. once you've watched the movie you'll understand. :( anyways, sorry for my blabbering. enjoy! and check out my new fic if you can ^_^

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><p><strong>Chapter 12 – Smile<strong>

Remus woke up from what he thought was one of the greatest night of sleep he'd ever gotten. Much to his surprise, it had been the morning right after a full moon. Usually that day would be his worst day in the month, feeling solemn and down, outright depressed with himself, but somehow, that day was different.

He stirred and realized that he wasn't alone. Remus' eyes widened in shock at the young woman's frail body that laid beside him, snuggled warmly and comfortably against him. Nymphadora Tonks with her brilliant bubblegum pink hair was lying with her head on his chest, sound asleep and even smiling in her sleep. Remus pushed him off the ground slowly, surprised to see a warm blanket wrapped around his scar crossed body. He was slow and careful not to wake Tonks up while still setting her head onto the blanket at his lap, trying hard to get out.

"Morning," Sirius greeted, dragging out the word but not taking his eyes off the book in his hands. Remus looked at him bemusedly with one of the most hilarious expressions Sirius had ever seen in his entire life. "What's wrong Moony?" he grinned.

"Did you put the blanket on me?"

Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Tonks did after you opened your legs in your sleep."

"What?" Remus replied in shock and sheer horror.

"Relax I'm just kidding," Sirius teased. "But she did grab the blanket and put it over you right when you were beginning to transform back."

"And she was in here the whole night?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded as if it hadn't already been the most obvious thing in the whole world.

"That's completely dangerous! If you saw her near me, why didn't you tell her to get away?" Remus asked in a hushed but forceful whisper, trying not to wake up a sleeping Auror.

"Well I didn't think you'd hurt my cousin," Sirius shrugged. "Besides, she seemed quite cozy when I came in, sitting practically in your hold while reading a book. I've been looking through every page of that book, wondering what's so special about it that's got you both wrapped around it," Sirius spoke, scratching his moustache and gesturing to the thick hardcover book lying on the coffee table.

"She knows I'm a werewolf now…" Remus mumbled, turning down to Tonks in fear and worry. There were so many of those thoughts running through his mind, but one of the top ones were: what if he hurt her somehow. He wondered if he'd hurt her last night. He couldn't let Tonks risk getting hurt all because of him, even knowing he's a werewolf. Merlin knew he's longed for her love for a while now, but her safety was above all. If he hurt her just because he selfishly wanted to be with her, Remus wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Sirius rolled his eyes when he saw that look in Remus' eyes. "Would you relax already?" he sighed. "You're not going to hurt her. You are not dangerous no matter what you try to convince yourself into thinking. Hell, _I'm_ more dangerous than you, and I'm a man locked in this ratty old dump," he rolled his eyes.

"Never again," Remus mumbled. "Sirius, don't ever let Nymphadora near me during a full moon. I could hurt her and I won't be able to live knowing that."

"You'd hurt her more if you don't let her in," Sirius pointed out. "Now Remus old pal, we all know that you love Tonks or at least getting to love her very, very much. If you two love each other, why would you push that away?"

"Her safety is above all. Even if I love her, I can't risk her getting hurt."

"And she won't," Sirius reminded him one more time in a tone that seemed to have settled everything. "Tonks is an Auror trained under Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody that paranoid old codger. She'd have you in a headlock before you could even touch her. Now no more wallowing, alright Moony? I'm going down and getting breakfast. Holler if you need help."

As Sirius left, Remus' eyes turned back to a sleeping Tonks. He was still worried that he'd hurt her, he was also worried that she'd reject him, but after remembering what exactly had happened last night before he drifted off to sleep, he suddenly wanted to smile. Remus sat silently for a while, watching Tonks' smile widen as she slept, snuggling closer to him. For that moment and that moment alone, Remus decided to set all his fears aside, just for that moment. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling the blanket over her as well while he too smiled. If he remembered right, that was his first ever smile after a full moon, and it was all because of Nymphadora Tonks.


	13. Danger

**Chapter 13 – Danger**

A few days after the full moon, Remus was back on his feet again and feeling better, a usual cycle every month that he'd gotten used to. The last moon however, wasn't as daunting as he had expected it to be. Instead it even brought him a pleasant surprise, a visit from the Order's pink haired punk rock Auror. Remus sat in the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of tea in the middle of the night. He couldn't sleep that night and felt a want to stay up and wait for Tonks to get home from her Guard Duty, just to exchange a few words with her before bed time. He was quite fond of her. Fond enough to wait for her every night she had guard duty to prepare tea for her. He was fond of her enough to let her fall asleep on his shoulder the other night and stayed that way until morning. And he was definitely fond of her enough to accompany her in doing anything and everything around the house. Remus was quite fond of her.

He sat down and sighed to himself, quietly, since the house was asleep. But then he realized something he'd completely looked over before. He was dangerous. Yes Tonks did lie in his arms and read with him on the full moon, but it doesn't mean he's not a danger to her.

"_I'm a danger to those around me_," Remus sighed.

There was danger everywhere as far as he could tell. He was a danger to the people around him. He was in danger by being associated with the Order and being a werewolf. And after a while of thought, Remus finally realized that he was in danger of falling in love with a certain pink haired punk rock Auror, Nymphadora Tonks. He was a danger that's in danger.

In the midst of his thoughts, Remus suddenly heard the front door open a little too loudly and the stumbling footsteps made him recognize them to be Tonks'. He remembered the cue. She'd come home every night, tired, and grumbling something to herself. He never could make out what she grumbled to herself, but it seemed to be a thought that was frustrating her ever since the last moon. Remus noticed and always tried to make out what she was grumbling. Unfortunately, he was afraid if he kept paying attention, he'd be in greater danger of falling in love with Nymphadora Tonks.

Looking up from his tea, Remus caught a sight of the vivid, brilliant, almost glowing, bubblegum pink hair. Tonks walked down the narrow hallway and into the kitchen, again looking tired and grumbling something to herself. Remus got up and smiled at her, making his way across the table when she suddenly tripped over the troll-legged umbrella stand.

"…_grumble grumble_ in danger of falling for REMUS!" Tonks grumbled and as she tripped over the troll-legged umbrella stand, her grumbling got louder and became audible, understandable to him and the last word she called shook him. Her voice grew and the last word that escaped her mouth was his name, coming out as a sort of scream that shifted from low grumbling and discreet thoughts to an obvious cry for help as she fell. As she gracelessly hit the ground with a loud and thunderous thud that woke the house and also the screaming portrait of Walburga Black, Remus stared at her, frozen, shocked, wide-eyed, and unsure of what to do.

"Bloody hell," Tonks groaned, pushing herself back up. "Stupid umbrella stand," she continued. "You're lucky you're already dead and unmoving otherwise I'd hex you so badly you'd be eating out of a straw," she continued mumbling, quickly running her mouth at top speed, rambling, a thing she does quite often.

"N…Nymphadora…" Remus began in his shock, still looking at her, a smile breaking his pale, stunned face. "Y…you…um…" he continued, not bothering to shut up the screaming portrait in the background.

Tonks looked up, her eyes dilating and brightening significantly once she saw Remus. "Remus!" she smiled, her voice still audible through Walburga Black's screaming. "Wotcher!"

Remus scrambled down to his knees and helped her up, holding her tightly by her arms as a wide, wolfish grin danced across his face. He looked into her eyes and she smiled back at him. Suddenly she shied a bit, her eyes dancing around while she blushed. Remus saw it for the first time, Tonks was blushing.

"You waited for me again," Tonks smiled, her voice soft, a total contradiction from the screaming portrait in the background that had raised her volume and voice by a good two octaves. Walburga Black continued screaming, but Remus and Tonks continued talking, completely ignoring her and all other residents in the house.

"I'd always wait for you…" Remus smiled shyly, looking at her, feeling happy.

Remus Lupin was a danger to others around him being a werewolf under the full moon. He was a danger to himself being a werewolf and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. And he was also in danger of falling madly in love with a certain pink haired Auror. He was a danger in danger.

Nymphadora Tonks was a danger to others around her, being a ticking time bomb on legs with her clumsiness. She was a danger to herself, being so clumsy and reckless at times. And she too was in danger of falling madly in love with a certain werewolf professor. She was a danger in danger.

"Bloody hell, SHUT UP!" Sirius' booming voice echoed down the hall, followed by loud, thunderous footsteps as he closed the curtain to Walburga Black's portrait. "I hate that woman!" he screamed. "It's three in the blood morning! People are trying to sleep!" he continued yelling and freaking out. "Who could wake that old hag up at THREE IN THE BLOODY MORNING?" he screamed and then his eyes fell on the unfazed couple standing in the kitchen, staring at each other. "Oh bloody hell," he sighed, slapping his forehead. "Of course the reckless shape shifters in love would wake her," he sighed and shook his head. "I can see that I'm being ignored," he commented. Even through all his screaming, not one eye turned to look at him. Sirius sighed dramatically, feeling the word IGNORED being written right over top him in big bold letters. He yawned and ascended the stairs again, returning to bed.


	14. Kiss

**Author's Note:**

Just some fluff, ^_^ Now I've been wondering...I can't decide if I should let Sirius live in my story or not, because I let him live in my other stories...maybe I should, I don't know, I'm rather fond of Sirius in here ;D What do you guys think?

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><p><strong>Chapter 14 – Kiss<strong>

He'd been looking for her all day but Sirius had said that Tonks went back to her apartment to do some cleaning and to move some more of her clothes over to Grimmauld Place. Remus had wanted to ask if she needed any help but Tonks was already out of there before he could catch her. All day he hadn't seen her and they hadn't said a word to each other.

It was still ten minutes before another Order meeting was about to start. Remus stepped out of the Black family library, tired but looking forward to the meeting because hopefully he would see a certain pink haired punk rock auror there. What he hadn't expected was that he'd be able to see said auror a few minutes earlier.

As Remus closed the door to the library, he suddenly ran into a stumbling Nymphadora Tonks who had fallen off the last three steps of the stairs from the landing above him. Luckily he reacted quickly enough and caught her but once again found themselves in a rather odd position with Tonks lying on top of him, her legs around his and their faces inches apart while her hands were on his chest and his were around her waist. Remus blushed immediately and didn't know what to do. He didn't want to push her off of him but he didn't know what to do next either.

"Remus, wotcher," Tonks smiled, her cheeks burning up and her eyes a dark green.

Remus' soft blue eyes widened and he smiled shyly at her. "Nymphadora, hello."

"Uh this," she laughed, becoming shy.

His eyes widened a bit more. _Was Nymphadora being shy?_

Slowly, before he realized it, Tonks was leaning in closer to him, her lips closing the small distance between hers and his. Remus didn't move as Tonks gently set her lips on his. But she didn't move either. She made the first move, but she didn't push on. She was simply waiting. Remus decided that he couldn't hold back any longer and if she liked him enough to make the first move, he should be just as well smart enough to counter it.

He closed his eyes and kissed her. Their kiss was gentle but lacking no fire or intense emotion. Their kiss was passionate and soft, sweet, and soothing. Their long kiss stopped a few moments later as they sought to catch their breaths. But again, Remus had his hands buried in her pink hair as they kissed again. Tonks was playing with his soft light brown hair and their long kisses turned to feathers of kisses. They couldn't hold themselves back and it was as if they were putting all of their previous emotions for each other into those kisses.

"Moony, the meeting's about to start. Are you coming or what?" Sirius' voice called from down the stairs as he began ascending the set of stairs. Tonks and Remus didn't notice however, they were too caught up in their own little world of kisses. "And while you're up there can you check if my colorful cousin is up there as well cuz I'm not walking up another flight of stairs," Sirius continued as his already loud voice drew nearer and louder. Remus and Tonks both continued to ignore him, something they've been doing quite often when they were together. "Moony are you listening what are…" Sirius spoke and suddenly paused, gawking at the kissing couple. "What the bloody hell?" he screamed, causing the portrait of Walburga Black to awaken and shriek at them. "What is up with you and stairs?" Sirius yelled. "Oh SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG!" he yelled at his mother while Remus and Tonks finally broke apart and shyly stared at Sirius, blushing madly from embarrassment.

"Uh…" Tonks began.

"Padfoot…" Remus began, unsure as well.

Sirius turned from one to another and then rolled his eyes. "Honestly, what is up with you people and stairs?" he sighed. "They'll be a little late Molly they're too caught up over some minor nymph and werewolf communication problems," Sirius called down the stairs and turned on his heels to leave them alone. He continued to grumble, "Merlin I knew they were in love but do they seriously have to be all over each other like that? This is getting annoying and odd at the same time, my little cousin and my best friend. What has this world come to? Oh and there's a hippogriff in the attic, I'm an escaped criminal, and apparently Snape the dreariest man alive is supposedly a good guy and is helping us…" Sirius continued to grumble loud enough so Tonks and Remus could hear him.

They turned and faced each other, their cheeks burning up. "Um…" Tonks began.

"Well Padfoot does tend to grumble lately," Remus shrugged and got up to his feet, pulling Tonks up as well. "Maybe we should get down there before people actually start thinking we have communication problems," he smiled.

Tonks swallowed hard and managed a chuckle as she nodded and followed him.


	15. Unbelievable

**Author's Note:**

I know I planned on drawing this story out to cover from Order of the Phoenix to Deathly Hallows, but I realized if I did that, I'd be reusing some of my ideas, and I don't really want to do that. So I plan on ending this story pretty soon, around the end of Order of the Phoenix, sorry. Just a heads up ^_^ Sorry I'm terribly bad at planning. I do hope you enjoy. And this chapter I was inspired by my best friend's rather odd way of parenting...and she's a godmother so it works well with Sirius.

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><p><strong>Chapter 15 – Unbelievable<strong>

Tonks sat with her head in her hands, massaging her temples and tired eyes as she watched her lanky black haired cousin pace back and forth in the long, narrow kitchen of Grimmauld Place. He'd been doing that for hours, wearing a trench in the floor as he grumbled to himself. Remus was beside her, his hand rubbing her back in a comforting gesture. She'd just returned from work, running on probably four or five hours of sleep after having continuous guard duties for the past few days. Severus Snape had just informed the Order that he will no longer be teaching Harry Occlumency, claiming that the boy simply does not have the talent or ability to develop at it. That worried Sirius because it would make Harry's mind vulnerable to Voldemort. That was the reason why Sirius was pacing a hole in the kitchen floor.

"Padfoot, sit down and give it a rest," Remus spoke in a low but comforting voice. "I'm sure Albus will convince Severus to teach Harry again."

"I can't just sit still, I have to do something," Sirius replied. "I'm his godfather for god's sake. I've already failed James once. I don't want anything bad to happen to his son now."

"Sirius just sit down, you're giving me a headache with your pacing," Tonks groaned.

"There there," Remus spoke softly by her ear.

They'd gotten closer than ever and soon Remus was comfortable with her resting her head on his shoulder. Tonks leaned back and placed her head there, Remus' arm still around her waist as he patted her knee.

"I'm going to write a letter," Sirius spoke, snapping his fingers and rushing over to the kitchen window where a stack of parchment, quill, and ink sat at the window sill. "Yes, why didn't I think of this before?" Sirius spoke, mainly to himself.

Tonks and Remus turned and looked at each other, confused, wondering what crazy ol' Sirius Black was up to that time. They watched as the lanky raven haired man sloppily scribbled down some words on the parchment and attached it to a large brown owl outside the window. When the owl flew away, Sirius turned back with a small smile, his pacing stopped.

"Who'd you owl?" Tonks asked, speaking up for Remus as well.

"I wrote a letter to Snivellus, asking him to consider teaching Harry Occlumency again," he replied. "I even used his name instead of any nicknames we gave him, and I threw a 'please' and even a 'thank you' in there," Sirius grinned, crossing his arms and proud of himself.

Remus and Tonks stared at him. They never thought Sirius would do that, using Snape's name, using please and thank you with the man, but he did. There were some things Remus and Tonks wouldn't understand until they've been in the same position. That some people would do almost anything for their child, even if said child was just their godchild.

"Amazing," Remus gawked, still caught up with the 'please' and 'thank you' Sirius used. Sirius never even used those words with him, and they were supposedly friends! Oh the odd things a parent would do for their child. Remus wouldn't understand just yet.

"Unbelievable," Tonks spoke, her lips breaking into a laugh as she stared at her cousin.


	16. Hush

**Chapter 16 – Hush**

That night had been a peaceful night, a long night, and a boring night. The battle call took them all by surprise and Tonks was dragged out of her peaceful nap on the drawing room sofa by a loud grunt from none other than Mad-Eye Moody, her old mentor.

"Severus said Potter's fallen into one of Voldemort's trap and is headed for the Department of Mysteries," Moody grunted, surprising everyone in the drawing room when he and Kingsley stormed in with heavy footsteps.

Remus immediately pushed himself off his comfortable position on the long sofa beside Tonks, already grabbing his wand from the coffee table. Tonks got up slowly, wiping her eyes sleepily as she caught up with what was happening. Sirius was already on his feet, his wand in his hand and ready to defend his godson from anything. Remus raised a confused eyebrow at Moody, wondering what Harry would be doing at the Department of Mysteries, and how in the world the boy got there in the first place.

"Wait, what exactly happened?" Sirius asked in a dry, hoarse voice.

"Severus sent a patronus to me and Kingsley saying that Potter's got another vision from Voldemort. He thinks you've been captured and tortured at the Department of Mysteries and he's going to save you," Moody growled in an even rougher and dryer voice.

Sirius' eyes lit up with worry. "What? He's fallen right into the trap!"

"That's exactly what I just said," Moody replied tersely. "Tonks! Remus! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming too," Sirius jumped in.

"No you aren't." That time it was Remus' voice, his usual gentle tone changed to a stern and short one as he placed a hand on his friend's chest and pushed the lanky man back.

"He's my godson Remus," Sirius replied with just as much force.

"And he'd much rather have you alive and here waiting for him than dead or captured," Tonks huffed, finally getting the sleep out of her eyes and her mind into the situation.

"Sirius you're not coming," Kingsley added. "We're going to the Ministry here and it'd be like bringing you right back to Azkaban. Tonks is right. Harry needs you alive and free, not dead or captured. Now let's go, they are in great danger."

"No!" Sirius growled. "You are not leaving me here when Harry's…"

Before he could finish however, Mad-Eye had already sent a full body bind spell at Sirius, hitting him square in the chest. Sirius fell back into the sofa he had occupied earlier, his dark eyes glaring at them. Mad-Eye then placed another rope bound spell on Sirius, tying his body down. Tonks and Remus glanced at Sirius one more time before they followed Mad-Eye and Kingsley down the stairs, Tonks holding onto Remus less she fell and injure herself before they even got to the battle.

"We're just going to leave him there like that?" Tonks asked.

"It's better than letting him walk right into the Ministry," Moody grumbled and continued on. Tonks knew the man refused to show any emotions, but over their time together he'd grown fond of her cousin Sirius as well and wasn't willing to let the innocent man die or be captured.

"How long will it hold him?" Remus asked as they got out of the house, leaving Walburga Black's screaming portrait to attend to herself and hoping maybe later Kreacher would come and quiet her down for they had no time.

"As long as I stay awake," Moody replied. "Now come on, head to the Atrium first," he grunted to them and then apparated with a _pop_, vanishing in the air.

"Nymphadora, be careful," Remus sighed as Kingsley apparated as well.

"Don't call me Nymphadora Remus," she sighed quickly. "And I won't die that easily," she smiled quickly as they both apparated at the same instance, heading for the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic to rescue a boy who had way too much to worry about for someone his age.


	17. Bellatrix

**Chapter 17 – Bellatrix**

Bang!

She had to duck yet another explosion, barely staying standing on her feet as Tonks evaded the falling debris from the stone seats above her. Her wand was in her hand as she continued running backwards, firing spell after spell at her very own aunt. Tonks always knew her family was odd, but it never occurred to her that her family was downright deranged until that moment in time, when her very own aunt chased after her with the intention to kill in her hollow eyes while screaming the word 'mudblood'.

Bellatrix Lestrange was a tall woman with thick, shining black hair. Her resemblance to Andromeda Tonks, Tonks' mother, was shocking. Tonks had to focus on the fact that she was a deranged and mental woman trying to kill her in order to hex Bellatrix easier, rather than think of her as family. Bellatrix had thin lips like Andromeda did, but her other features were sharper and less friendly. Her eyes were dark and heavily hooded and her jaw was strong, very different from Andromeda. Tonks focused solely on the differences and thought of Bellatrix as another dark wizard in need of capture, rather than family.

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Crucio_!"

"_Protego_!"

"_Crucio_!"

"_Stupefy_!"

The fight between Bellatrix and Tonks grew completely personal. Tonks soon began to see Bellatrix as someone more than a dark wizard. She began to see the deranged and psychotic woman as an evil of the family her mother had left behind, an evil that needed to be stopped. They continued to fire spells back and forth, not missing a beat. Bellatrix would insult her and taunt her and Tonks' blood would boil, her hair color changing rapidly, but she kept her head calm. She needed to make sure she distract Bellatrix long enough so that the others would be safe and have one less psychotic Death Eater on their hands.

"Filthy half-breed!" Bellatrix shrieked as Remus suddenly shot a spell her way, hitting her square in the back.

Tonks looked up and realized that she was given the upper hand as Remus was not only dueling with a masked Death Eater he was helping her whenever he got the chance. "_I won't die that easily Remus, worry about yourself first,_" Tonks thought in her head as she began ascending the stone steps with Bellatrix following close behind her.

Her mind shook when she heard that unforgettable cackle of mad and pure insanity. Tonks turned and glanced behind her, firing a spell down at the woman who was following close behind her as they climbed the stairs.

She thought she had everything under control. She thought she just had to distract Bellatrix, disarm her, stun her, or something. Tonks never expected her clumsiness to get in the way at such a crucial moment. Her eyes widened when she suddenly tripped over something, something she couldn't really see. Her wand managed another spell at Bellatrix and it finally hit, making the dark witch shriek in pain. Tonks wondered what spell it was as she fell that would cause the mad woman to shriek with such pain.

As for Tonks, all she knew was that she was falling. She wanted to curse and hex herself. Of all the time in the world, her clumsiness decided that then would be a good time for a visit. The pain she felt was numbed out, falling, tumbling down the many rows of stone seats. For a moment, Tonks rid herself of all serious thoughts and wondered just how many rows were there. She could see Bellatrix's figure once before total blackness took over her world. And it was that one image that imprinted a dark picture in Tonks' mind.

The woman stood looming over her, laughing triumphantly as Tonks tumbled helplessly down the steps, hitting each row, being tossed by the seats like a rag doll. And then there was Bellatrix with her dark, sadistic eyes, her bone chilling grin, and her mad, insane cackle ringing in her ear. Tonks' impression of her maternal aunt was definitely not a good one.


	18. Unbreakable

**Chapter 18 – Unbreakable**

The golden rays of the sun glistened through the windows of St. Mungo's Spell Damage ward. The ward was nearly empty, except for two people there, one a patient, one a weary visitor. Remus sat beside Tonks' bed, unmoving in his position for what felt like hours. He was perfectly content sitting still and watching her sleeping, eased by seeing the rise and fall of her chest and hearing her stable breathing. Tonks had been unconscious for several days, and though the healers said there was absolutely nothing to worry about and that Tonks had had far worse injuries than so during her training with Mad-Eye Moody, Remus still couldn't help but worry. She seemed so fragile, so delicate, lying there under the white sheets of the bed, wearing striped pajama robes that he knew she would hate so much when she woke up.

First he saw her fingers move slightly, and then she stirred, and slowly her eyes began to open. He stifled his yawn and leaned up to meet her eyes, his weariness gone as he was glad to see her safe and sound, and awake at last.

"Remus?" Tonks spoke in a soft, hoarse voice after a few moments of stirring.

He smiled a soft and gentle Remus-like lopsided grin that made her brighten. "You're awake," he spoke softly. "Finally."

"Finally? How long have I been out?" she asked, struggling to sit up but cringing when she felt a painful throbbing in her rib cage.

"Careful Nymphadora, Poppy Pomfrey said you broke at least four ribs falling down the enchanted stairs in the Department of Mysteries, and several bones as well as a few cuts and bruises," he warned her and motioned for her to stop her protest as he pulled the blanket up to her chest, taking her hand again.

"Please stop calling me Nymphadora. It's such a ghastly name."

"It's beautiful," Remus smiled and Tonks rolled her eyes.

"The battle…what happened? Is everyone alright?"

"Everyone's fine. You got the worst of it and you're awake now," he told her.

"What about Padfoot? Is he ok? What happened to him?"

He laughed softly, patting her hand to quell her worries. "Padfoot is fine. He's a little bit peeved, but he's perfectly fine. He's still acting like a child, pouting and refusing to speak politely with any of us for tying him up and preventing him from coming to Harry's rescue, and he said he won't forget us because we bound and gagged him."

She laughed with him, laughter melding into a perfect harmony. Their laugh is of two different octaves, but when together they sound like a perfect song. "At least he's safe."

"We were all worried about you most of all. Look, you've been here for three days. And you're completely battered," he nagged her in a soft, comforting voice.

"I told you," she smiled. "I'm unbreakable."

"You are very breakable Nymphadora," he spoke, remembering how fragile she looked.

"No, I'm unbreakable. Nothing can break me. Not Bellatrix, not enchanted stairs, none," she grinned and Remus grinned with her. She is breakable and unbreakable at the same time.


	19. Nightmare

**Chapter 19 – Nightmare**

_Standing there, she felt a feeling of déjà vu hit her conscience. Tonks looked around, recognizing the familiar room with rows after rows of stone benches, benches she'd fallen from before, benches she'd cracked her skull against. Tonks watched the battle happen around her, again. She watched Remus fight against the Death Eaters, watched Mad-Eye get injured but still stay standing, and watched Bellatrix chase after her, a second time._

_ "Bloody hell," Tonks breathed to herself, watching her duel with Bellatrix._

_ She heard a loud crash and turned around, standing at the bottom of a large dais that sat in the center of the room. On top of the dais she saw what looked like a large archway with a wispy veil like curtain in it. She gasped when she suddenly saw Sirius there, standing beside the archway and Harry. Sirius was never at the fight, they had trapped him at Grimmauld Place._

_ Tonks stepped forward, wanting to know what was going on. Why was she seeing herself duel Bellatrix Lestrange all over again? Why was Sirius at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries? From what her memory told her, he was never there._

_ Then she saw it. She'd disappeared somewhere, leaving Bellatrix Lestrange unguarded. The evil woman half-apparated to a higher seat on the rows of stone benches. She stood with a triumphant grin on her hollow face. She suddenly casted a jet of green light that hit Sirius square in the chest. Tonks ran forward and watched as the impact of the spell caused Sirius to fall backwards, into the veil that looked like a curtain. Sirius' body fell in the form of a graceful arc, falling through the veil and not coming back. His eyes turned cold and lifeless as his very soul seemed to have left his body._

_ "Sirius!" Tonks screamed, lunging forward._

Her eyes snapped open, dark eyes meeting the moldy and old ceiling of Grimmauld Place. Tonks' breath was fast and her heart was pounding rapidly. Traces of cold sweat marred her forehead and her throat was burning dry.

"Tonks! Tonks what's wrong?" Sirius' voice asked her quickly as he came running into the drawing room of Grimmauld Place from the hallway.

She was breathing hard as he helped her sit up. "W…what…Sirius!" she exclaimed. "I, I saw…" she ran a hand through her head, confused.

"Tonks what'd you see?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "Where's Remus?" she asked, looking in the eyes of her cousin, very much alive and well.

"It's a full moon Tonks, you were just stressing about it a few hours ago. He's upstairs and you fell asleep a few hours ago. You probably had a nightmare," Sirius sighed, partially laughing. "You scared the bogies out of me for a moment," he smiled. "Come on Tonks, you want to go check on Remus?" he asked and helped her up.


	20. Together

**Author's Note:**

This is the last chapter for this story! Sorry, I had planned to go on longer with this story, but I realized if I go much longer, all my ideas would be used up and I don't want to keep repeating myself with my stories, despite how much I love Remus and Tonks and can't get enough of them xD So thank you all for bearing with me and my irregular updates. Thank you for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed it. Please check out my other fics too if you have the time ^_^ Thank you! 3

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><p><strong>Chapter 20 – Together<strong>

It'd been weeks. The Battle of the Department of Mysteries was over and luckily, though there were injuries, there were no casualties. The Ministry had finally accepted that _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_ has returned. Cornelius Fudge stepped down as Minister and the Wizarding World falls into a new campaign for a suitable leader, one who could lead them safely through the war. Though the Minister doesn't seem to be the leader in everyone's heart anymore.

How her life lead her there she didn't know, but all she knew was that she was there, she was thankful, and she was happy, for the moment. As the world reached war, she found a new reason, a reason she could fight for. Tonks stood on Platform 9 ¾ after all the kids had left. They'd just met with Harry and sent him home with a word of caution to his muggle relatives that if they didn't treat him right, they'd have a very mischievous and angry army and godfather to answer to. Harry had just left, and along with all the other kids. It was just them now, alone on the now deserted platform.

She shoved both her hands into the pockets of her robes, an action she could picture Remus doing daily. Tonks heaved a breath and sighed deeply.

"Why are you standing here all alone?" Remus asked her, walking up to stand beside her.

Tonks turned to him, a soft smile grazing her lips. "I told you about the nightmare right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it scared the living daylights out of Padfoot when you woke up screaming. It worried me too when you told me about it…and what you saw," he replied.

"But I have a feeling that it's all behind us now," she spoke softly, her smile brightening.

Remus sighed and crossed his arms, turning back to see a grinning Sirius Black, seeming to be teasing Mad-Eye Moody about something, something stupid no doubt. Sirius' grin was so bright and lively, it mirrored that same one in his childhood. Then Remus nodded after watching his best friend. "I've been thinking exactly the same thing Nymphadora."

"So what now?" Tonks asked while feeling like she'd just overcame a harsh obstacle.

"Now…" Remus began, truly thinking. "Now we live…make the most out of our time…before war breaks out," he turned to her.

"Now we live," Tonks nodded.

Remus looked at her and smiled. They'd surpassed one obstacle together, but neither were naïve enough to think that it would end there. There were many more obstacles to overcome and many more battles to fight. They looked at each other intently in a spell binding gaze, able to understand exactly what the other is thinking. Tonks' lips quirked up into a smile to meet Remus' as mysterious dark green eyes met gentle soft blue ones.

"Together?" Remus asked, holding out his hand to her, ready for the future.

"Together." Tonks' tone sounded definite, and she planned on having a future with the man whose hand she was holding.


End file.
